Only You
by wolfhorse
Summary: Katara is a cold, bitter antisocial girl. But what happens when she unintentionally attracts a certain Fire Prince? [AU MultiPair] Please R&R!
1. Prologue

**A/N-no author's note this time... But, On to the Story!**

**Continuous Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or any of the characters or anything else that's not mine, only this plot.**

**Prologue**

A young girl, about the age of nine, climbed up the steep snow wall effortlessly, almost as if she had been doing it her entire life. After she reached the top, she sat on the edge and looked out across the icy land.

A light wind blew her dark hair in all directions. She heaved a soft sigh, and imagined (just like any girl her age) what it would be like to be a princess, living in a lavish castle on the edge of the ocean, overlooking the beautiful water, listening to the loud crashing of waves beating the sandy shore. She closed her ice-blue eyes and leaned her head back, breathing in the sweet smell of the ocean.

"Katara! Get down from there you lazy girl!" a voice shrilled from below her.

Katara's eyes snapped open, her body straightening. "I'll be down in a minute," she called.

"No, you idiot!" the voice replied. "You will come down right _now_!"

Katara knew by the way the order sounded that she had no choice by to obey. Stealing a final look of the ice-covered waters, she slid back down the embankment. At the bottom, she was greeted by the shrilly woman, a small, plump woman at the age of forty-seven. Miana was her name.

"Did I not tell you to stop climbing the wall?" Miana screamed at her face.

Katara cringed. "I... I was only..."

"Shut it, girl! You are so dim-witted you cannot obey and your tongue is completely useless!"

A hand grabbed the scruff of her neck a little too tightly. Katara did not complain from the pain racing its way through her body. Miana slapped her. "Now then, obey me or else! You will clean the food table tonight, wash the clothes, and you will sleep outside!" Miana released her, shoving the girl to the ground. "Pathetic kit."

Katara's cheek stung from the slap, and the snow was seeping into her thin clothes. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes, but she stood and marched back to her tent, where she and Miana lived now.

_I need to get away from this hellish woman, _she thought with a shudder.

_**O.O.O.O.O.O**_

Katara finally bit into her cold, hardened biscuit. She was cold and tired, and her bed of straw and rags was adding to her complete misery. She shifted on the bed, and winced. It was a crucial mistake to move. A stick poked her in the back and she sighed.

An old, hunched woman passed by her, stopping and turning around to look at the little girl. "Oh, you poor child..." she murmured. She approached Katara and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What is your name, child?"

Katara shivered in the cold. "I..." she started. "It's Katara. My name is Katara." She squared her shoulders when a sharp wind sliced through the alleyway.

The old woman sat beside her. "Well, Katara, why are you outside on a night like this? Why aren't you inside?" She patted her knee softly. "And you are too young to be alone. Who knows what might happen?"

Katara looked down. "I don't have a family. The only person that takes care of me is my aunt Miana. And she makes me do a lot of work and she makes me sleep out here." She shuffled a bit on her makeshift mattress. "My parents died when I was two, and my brother Sokka was killed by a seal."

"Oh my..." the woman whispered. She pulled out something from her pocket and placed it in Katara's hand, enclosing her fist around it. "Keep this close. It keeps you safe, and it brings you comfort as warm as a mother's embrace." She placed a gentle kiss on Katara's forehead, standing. "Katara, I'm glad we met. I see great things in your future, young one. Be safe."

Katara struggled to her feet. "Wait! What... What's your name?" she asked quietly.

The woman turned and smiled a crooked smile. "Kanna."

When Kanna left, Katara opened her palm and stared at the object Kanna gave her. A beautiful navy blue necklace with a silver stone with the waterbending symbol engraved into it sat in. She closed her hand over the necklace, eyes narrowing. Though Kanna was kind to her, the kindness did not balance out the hate and the cruelty she endured every day.

From that moment on, Katara _loathed _every person who had an easy her small hand. life of their own.

**A/N-Well, that was the prologue. Sorry if it was too short, but please submit a review! (Flames welcome)**


	2. Chapter 1: Katara's Diary

**A/N-Second chapter, as requested by my reviewers!**

**Chapter 1: Katara's Diary**

(11 years old)

Well, this is my first diary (or rather, scraps of paper I found in trash bins), so I'll just start out like this. My name is Katara, and I live in the Northern Water Tribe with my aunt Miana. She's mean and evil, you could say. I don't really have a family. My parents were killed when I was two, and just two years ago my brother was killed by a seal. And only one person has ever been my real "friend". Kanna, her name is. She sometimes visits me when I am away from Miana, but sometimes she doesn't. I'm so lonely. I wish I had another friend I could talk to.

(12 years old)

Today I am twelve. But no one cares. Miana especially. She put me to back-breaking work while she sat back and yelled at me for not doing a good enough job. I despise her. She calls me pathetic, but she can't even take care of herself. I have to bathe her, wash her clothes for her, dress her, and even brush her own hair. I don't understand why she is so cruel. What did I ever do to her?

(13 years old)

I should probably mention my parents. My father was Hakoda, and he was chief of the Northern Water Tribe. That's right, I was royalty. _Royalty. _Until those bandits ruined it all! They assassinated he and my mother, Kya, for money. Money that came from the cold-blooded man who the Tribe calls Chief Arnook. His daughter, Yue, is as cold as he is. She has slaves that do all her work for her. Pitiful. My life would have been greater if it weren't for them.

(14 years old)

Today is the fifth anniversary of Sokka's death. Sokka was my older brother. He was ten when he died. I was nine. He wanted to show me what it was like outside the Tribe walls. He took me sightseeing, you may call it. We found a great place to watch turtle seals climb in and out of the water. Sokka shielded my eyes when a baby seal was killed by a bull. I asked him why it did that. He said it was just the way of life for them. Kill or be killed. When he finally took his hand off my eyes, all that was left of the baby seal was blood. I told him to take me back to the Tribe. But, when we turned around, a big bull seal was towering over us. Sokka pushed me back while he tried to fight the seal. He yelled at me to run. I did. I ran until my legs gave out from under me, and when I turned around, there was nobody. I had run too far. I struggled up to my feet, and limped back to the Tribe. But I paused when I saw blood. Dark red blood covered the ground, and I was stepping in it. I could already tell it was Sokka's. Sure enough, when I looked, terrified, behind a rock, there he was, curled up in a ball, trembling just barely. I sat next to him, pulling him into my arms. I said his name, but he did not hear me. Sokka looked up at my face and whispered, "I love you" before slumping in my grip. I knew he was dead. I knew he was never going to jump up and say "Surprise!" Not this time. Not ever again.

(15 years old)

I am 15 years old today. I can finally get away from that horrid woman Miana. I fled to a better part of the city, where I bought knew clothes. I now look normal, after washing myself. The necklace Kanna gave me is still around my neck. It is even more beautiful than when I got it. I heard rumors that the Fire Prince is coming round soon. I don't want to be royalty anymore. I gave up on that dream as soon as I learned I couldn't be a part of royalty again. I now have a new goal in mind. Kill the Fire Prince. Just like Sokka said, "Kill or be killed."

**A/N-Wow. Katara's dark... Flames welcome, and reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 2: The Prince

**A/N-Thanks for the reviews, guys! Now it's time to answer them...**

**Dreamflame: Yes, and it will be more tragic later on...  
zutara-is-tru-luv: Well, here's how! (giggle)  
FireNutZuko: Shocked? Yeah, that's how I kind of felt too... But Azula dark? Maybe more... (giggle)  
MercuryAshlingPrincess: Thank you! Yes, it's very sad how Sokka died... Very sad... (wipes tear) You love it? Wow. I never thought anyone would love my story!  
Wannabe Pirate: Of course she's messed up, that's the best stuff! (laughs) But yeah, I wanted to take a walk on the wi--different side... (grin)  
WishHe-LovedMe: I'll take things slow for the moment, but it'll progress really fast later on. The diary thing will be continued for a while, but I'll see how that goes. Oh, she has training, believe me. (And she may get more training.)  
kit kat coco bar: She's very evil! Well, not very, but she's evil! She may, she may not fall in love. Who knows? Fluffiness is only for fluffy pairings. (Although I'm thinking of fluff later for some other characters.) Plot? What plot? LOL  
Moonlight-Passion: Very detailed and sophisticated, MP. (giggle) But thank you.**

**(tosses Zutara!love plushies to reviewers) On to the story!**

**Chapter 2: The Prince**

As they walked into the snowy harbor, Prince Zuko smiled. He liked this place already. It was quiet (unlike the Fire Nation and the ship) and it was beautiful. Carvings covered every wall and surface. There were statues of mighty wolves guarding the entrance of the city. Koalaotters swam in the river that coursed through the heart of the city. But the one thing that caught his eye was a girl.

The girl was a bit younger than him, but already tall enough to be considered a woman. She had dark tan skin, much different than the paler men and women of the Tribe. Her dark brown hair flowed well beyond her shoulders. That set off her beautiful ice-blue eyes. He knew it was forbidden to fall in love with a peasant, but she was absolutely beautiful. She wasn't looking at him, though.

Zuko didn't realize anyone was speaking to him until his cousin thwacked him on the back of the head. "Zuko! Hello! Where have you been?" Lu Ten stood in his line of vision. "I've been talking to you the last ten minutes!"

Ten minutes?! He had been staring at the girl that long and not noticed he was talking?! Prince Zuko stuttered, "Oh, erm, I was just thinking about... things... sorry..."

Lu Ten turned around, smiled, then looked back at him. "I see what you were looking at."

Zuko swallowed.

His cousin stood next to him as they walked down the path. "Princess Yue is some kind of beautiful, isn't she?"

The Fire Prince smiled, relieved. "Yeah, I guess so." He looked back over his shoulder at the girl. She was staring at him now. He blushed and turned away. "So, uh, what are we doing here?"

Lu Ten laughed, "Funny. I thought you wanted to take matters into your own hands."

Zuko blushed even more, until he was a bright pink. "Well..." he mumbled. "I thought we were doing something else today, _other _than that..." He was startled when Lu Ten stopped and he bumped into the strong-shouldered man. "What was that for? Why did we stop?"

His older cousin shushed him. "It's Chief Arnook, Prince Zuko." Lu Ten gently pushed Zuko back a little for more room. "Move over more, Zuko. You know I don't like small spaces."

Prince Zuko obeyed silently. He shifted to the left a bit more to allow his cousin more space. Peering past him, he saw a man, in his late thirties to early forties, speaking with his father. Princess Yue had moved from the crowd to his side, and was smiling. Not at him, but at Lu Ten. Zuko rolled his eyes when Lu Ten gave a sheepish grin. "Idiot."

Lu Ten shoved him backwards.

Unknowingly, the girl Zuko saw earlier had moved forward as well. She was standing almost right next to him when he stumbled back. The Fire Prince looked at her. "Erm... Hi."

The girl scoffed, turning away. "You know," she began softly, "I'm only here to make sure you don't make a fool of yourself, okay?" She glanced back at him, sizing him up with those piercing blue eyes. "Though it seems you already have."

Zuko, crushed, turned back around, head hanging. She had rejected him. No, worse, she had rejected _and _made fun of him. Still, he would keep going until he won her heart. Just not now. He had more important tasks to handle than courting a girl from the Northern Water Tribe.

_**O.O.O.O.O.O**_

Katara stood on the bridge connecting the two sides of the city. She stared down at the crystal clear water below her, watching an occasional koalaotter swim beneath the bridge. She thought about the day and what had gone on. The rumors had proved true. The Fire Prince was here. And he was staying with his family for another month or so.

_Just enough time to carry out my plan_, Katara thought.

There were no footsteps that night. Everyone was in their beds, sleeping safe and sound. But she knew as well as everyone in the Northern Water Tribe that the Fire Prince would be prowling around for a while. A koalaotter paused in its swimming to stare up at her, chattering softly. Katara turned away from the furry little creature. She walked from the bridge onto the sidewalk, her pace slow and relaxed.

_I need to get back to the inn. It's late and they'll be wondering where I am._

**_O.O.O.O.O.O_**

(8th day of winter)  
Tonight was colder than I have experienced. And the day was exhausting. I'm staying in an inn on the far side of town, across from where the Fire Prince is staying. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to kill him. I can't bend, as far as I know. Only my mother and father did that. But I do have a bit of training from Sokka. I can use knives and spears and such for attacking or defense. But bending... I just can't do it. I can adapt bending movements to attack positions, but that's it. I'll try to get him alone, then jump him. That'll be it... I guess.

**A/N-So what do you think?**


	4. Chapter 3: A New Friend?

**A/N-Thanks for the reviews guys!!!**

**kit kat coco bar: Are you enjoying your Kit Kat?**

**Chapter 3: A New Friend?**

The sun was blindingly bright the next morning. Katara eased up slowly from her bed, stretching her arms up above her head, blinking a little to recover from the sunshine filtering in her tiny window above her bed.

Someone banged on her door quite loudly, startling Katara out of her sleepy state. She stumbled towards the door to open it. "Who is it?" she called before tugging the door open.

The Fire Prince Zuko stood on her doorstep, staring back at her with bright golden eyes that glimmered when touched by the yellow sunlight. "Hi. Um... I just wanted to ask you what your name was...?" Zuko muttered, shuffling his armoured boots. "So we could sort of start over from what happened yesterday..."

Katara leaned against the doorframe, eyes cold and calculating. She thought it over for at least a minute, and decided to give him what he wanted, except twist it. "My name is Kya," she replied. Her foot tapped on the hard wooden floor, showing how much she was annoyed.

Zuko perked up a little, a smile gracing his features. "Kya? That's a pretty name." He looked around him. "So you live here? Seems kind of... unnerving, don't you think?" He turned back to her.

She shrugged her shoulders a little. "Not really. Now please, I need to get ready." With that, she slammed the door shut in his face.

_**O.O.O.O.O.O**_

Night fell on the city, and during that time Katara slipped out onto the streets. She trotted down a flight of snow-packed stairs, eyes darting from side to side to check for any people. Stealing through alleys and weaving past buildings, she managed to reach the harbor.

A small rowboat was the only thing she could find that no one would miss all that much if she sto—_borrowed _it for a while. Katara placed her small pack in front of her in the boat, settling down and taking up the paddles. "Here we go," she muttered.

And so her plan was set into motion.

_**O.O.O.O.O.O**_

Katara had somehow fallen asleep in her boat and somehow washed ashore. She had no idea where she was, and her body was sore from a terrible sunburn she had received while she was napping. She stood and climbed out of her rowboat, picking up her pack and shakily walking over to some protective trees.

"Hey!"

Whirling around, Katara saw a bald young boy with tattoos all over him standing way across the beach. She narrowed her eyes. "What? Who are you?"

In a flash, the boy was only two feet in front of her. "Aang. What's your name? No, wait!" Aang thought for a moment. "Your name is... Katara!"

Katara stepped back. "How did you...?"

Aang grinned at her. "I know because I saw your pack. I was just going to get help, because I thought you were dead, but you woke up!" He looked around curiously. "So you're from the Northern Water Tribe? This is the Southern Air Temple. I'm an airbender in training." He pointed to a big furry ball on the far side of the beach. "That's Appa. He's my flying bison. And that furry little creature next to him is Momo. He's a flying lemur I found in the Air Temple Sanctuary."

Katara stopped him from saying any more by holding her hands up defensively. "Um, can you take me to whoever, you know, leads the Air Temple?"

Aang stared at her, obviously confused, but then seemed to understand. "Oh, you mean the Air monks! I'll take you to them! Come on!"

She was slightly worried, but followed him to 'Appa'. _This will be strange._

_**Oh, at least you made a new friend!**_

_I never said he was my friend._

**A/N-Well, that was the chapter! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 4: Acceptance

**A/N-After the last chapter, I decided to write another one. How good of me. Be thankful I can understand Russian and can translate it for you and that I'm awake at this hour...**

**I'm just trying so hard not to get high of the spray paint fumes in here and I'm trying not to wake up my friends, whom are sleeping just a few feet from this computer.**

**Chapter 4: Acceptance**

Zuko looked out across the calm waters of the blue ocean. He leaned casually against the railing of the port side on his ship. A hand gently touched his own, and soft fingers massaged the back of it. He pulled his hand away. "Not now, Yue."

Yue stared at him. "Zuko, love, whatever's the matter?" she asked, astonished of his actions. "What are you thinking about?" Her eyes examined him carefully. "Is something bothering you?"

The Fire Prince looked away. "Nothing's wrong," he growled. "What makes you think I'm upset?" He walked across the deck, still looking at the water, thinking about Kya. _Why did she disappear? What happened to her? Is she okay?_

_**Why don't you find out?**_

_How?_

_**Go look for her. Search everywhere.**_

Footsteps echoed on the metal deck. He turned around, seeing only his uncle. Zuko sighed, sinking to his knees. "I can't believe I have to marry _her_. Why can't I choose who I want to marry?"

Ozai placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning down to his eye level. "Because the Fire Nation law requires the prince to marry a princess not a peasant, Prince Zuko." He groaned as he sat down. "I know that Kya was beautiful, but your father and your country don't want something that could disrupt the Nations."

Prince Zuko sighed, nodding. "So do I, but she looked like a princess to me. And her eyes were absolutely beautiful. They kind of had a... a fire in them."

His uncle stood, bringing Zuko with him. "Come. We must plan our path to the Fire Nation." He pulled the young prince along with him, even when Zuko started to pull back for him to let go.

_**O.O.O.O.O.O**_

Katara was scared out of her mind.

The airbender trainees were loud, obnoxious and crazy. She usually hid in a corner while the kids were around, but when she was with the monks. They were quiet, boring and normal. That was something she liked. Yet through all that, Aang was basically a friend to her.

But she wasn't.

She kept to herself most of the time, only speaking when spoken to, and sometimes going outside to the large courtyard to climb up on Appa and look up at the sky. But right at that moment she was in her corner.

"Hey, Katara!"

Katara turned around. Upon seeing Aang, she relaxed. Slightly. "What is it?" she called back.

Aang beckoned her to follow him. "I want to show you someone people. They're really cool and nice!" He bounded away, not waiting for Katara to hurry and catch up for him, even though she was quite happy in her special corner and was not ready to leave her space just yet.

While following a few metres behind Katara stumbled over a few rocks that had obviously fallen or tumbled after Aang lit through the area. She managed to reach the small flight of stairs leading up to a statue of Gyatso, the elder monk of the Temple, and hobbled up them as fast as she could possibly go at that point.

"Aang?" she called. "Aang, where'd you go?"

Aang's voice floated to her. "Over here, Katara! To your left!"

Katara looked to her left. Once she saw Aang standing far across the stone floor, she casually made her way over to him, only to be pushed down a steep hill by a sharp gust of wind. She landed unceremoniously at the bottom in a heap of freshly fallen snow. Looking up, Aang was standing over her with a grin on his face. Katara gave him a deadly glare as she stood to her feet.

"So what are we doing?" Her eyes scanned the horizon. "I don't see anyone."

Aang pulled her along with him. "Exactly, because they're over here!" He stopped when they came into eyesight of two girls, one dressed in Earthbender clothes, the other in Firebender fatigues. "Meet Toph and Azula. They were born with... uh, difficulties, and are from Gaoling and Ba Sing Se, respectively. Toph and Azula, meet Katara from the Northern Water Tribe."

Toph stared at her with those iridescent pale green eyes. "Water Tribe, eh? So are you a princess or a worthless peasant?"

Katara raised her head and narrowed her eyes. "I would be a princess if it weren't for some bandits that destroyed my life and my family."

Azula seemed to sense her pain and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Please excuse Toph, Miss Katara. She was abandoned after she was born, as was I..." She turned away sadly. "We would have been princesses as well, if it weren't for our so called 'difficulties'."

Toph stood as well, seeing Aang standing near her and shoving him away playfully. "But the Airbenders were kind enough to take us pitiful runts in and raise us as one of their own. Now what are you doing here? Did you run away to somewhere you think you would have been accepted?"

Katara swallowed painfully, feeling tears sting the backs of her eyes. "I came to train for something." They all turned back to look at her. "I came to train to kill someone."

**A/N-All right. The fumes in here are beginning to have quite a pleasant effect on me as of now, so I will be passing out soon. Flames and constructive criticism welcome. (yawn) Goodnight.**


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